Nature Moncton Nature News: Jan 25 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, January 25, 2017 ( Wednesday )

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

** It was indeed a surprise for Becky Crossman to look out her parents Riverview window on Tuesday morning to spot a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE [Solitaire de Townsend] feasting on the berries of a Winterberry Holly bush. This rare to New Brunswick western bird has appeared earlier this winter on Miscou Island. The bird was not seen again later Tuesday so it may have moved on, but we do know that it is in the area. The bush it was feeding on is in back of the house. Becky's parents live at 120 Carrington St. in Riverview, which is a new subdivision that does not appear on Google Maps. To drive by the house to check the bush take the first left after driving by Patricia Dr. off Coverdale Rd. called Cudmore. Then Carrington Dr. is the first right. The Crossmans say it is ok to walk back in their driveway into the back yard to note the bush on the far left in the woods towards the neighbor's yard. Becky also got a great photo of a female PILEATED WOODPECKER [Grand pic] enjoying the berries of the same bush in December of 2015 that is attached today as well.

** Jamie and Karen Burris visited the Tantramar Marsh on Monday to tally seven RED-TAILED HAWKS [Buse à queue rousse], four ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS [Buse pattue], one BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche], and a very healthy looking WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de Virginie]. Some of Jamie's flight shots show some flight identification features very nicely.

** Annegret Lamure shares an interesting scenario of photos she got on August 08, 2016 while she was photographing a doe WHITE-TAILED DEER [Cerf de Virginie] with her three fawns across the Petitcodiac River in Petitcodiac when a Red Fox startled the deer. Annegret comments that the Fox was hunting around an abandoned hay bale when it playfully started tossing a blue rag in the air and pouncing on it. Annegret also comments that a doe White-tailed Deer seems to have young each year in the same area which is usually twins but was triplets this year. One year a young from the previous year joined them which literature says is not uncommon to occur.

** Kevin Renton reports that they had a flock of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS [Jaseur boréal] come to their Highbush Cranberry bush just beside their Stilesville deck for a feeding frenzy at midday on Tuesday.

** Dave Miller was also on the High Marsh Rd. on the Tantramar on Monday to spot twelve RED-TAILED HAWKS [Buse à queue rousse], five ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS [Buse pattue], five BALD EAGLES [Pygargue à tête blanche] and one overwintering NORTHERN HARRIER [Busard Saint-Martin]. The marsh is so large that it seems like different birds are encountered hour by hour to hour.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton